Cap for containers and the like and method of making the same



Sept. 18, 1934. F. REUTTER 1,974,251 CAP FOR CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Aug. 12, 1932 '1 1 4 1 4 z 1 K 5 9 d INVENTOR BY HIS ATTORNEYS Mil Mg Patented Sept. 18, 1934 V PATENT OFFICE.

GAP FOR dONTAINERS AND THE LIKE AND METHODOF MAKING THE SAME Frederick Reutter, Waterbury, Conn., assignor to Scovill .Manufactnring Company,

Waterbury,

Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application August 12,1932, Serial No. 628,540

. '7 Claims. (01. 29-1483) This invention relates to caps for containers and a method of making the same.

More particularly, the invention relates to closures of the removable and replaceable cap type, commonly known as screw caps, for packaging lotions, creams, food products and the like.

Packagers of products of this kind have come to demand a container and cap'such that the closure presents a smooth, unbroken outer surface and such that the container and closure make a neat joint.

In order to provide a one-piece metal cap that meetsthese requirements, it has been proposed toshave tongues fromthe inner wall of the cap,

starting at the edge of the cap, and to roll up these tongues into the form of beads that constitute inner lugs for engaging the container thread.

This method, however, is not practicable in the case of caps for long neckedcontainersit If the cap is to make the desired joint with, the container body, the capskirt must be of a length corresponding to the long. container neck. As the container threads or other locking shoulders 5 are usually located near the mouth, it follows that the internal locking elements of the cap must be locatedhigh up in the cap, 1. e. a relatively considerable distance from the cap edge. But the method above referred to results in tongues that are so long there is too much metal to be'roller up. I 4

It is an object of the present invention to provide 'a one-piece metal. closure that may be removably locked on a container and that presents a smooth, unbroken exterior surface, and more particularly one that makes a neatjoint with the.

body of along necked container orthe like.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of making such caps.

With these general objects in view, the invention consists in the features, combinations, details of construction and arrangements of parts which will first be described in connection with the accompanying-drawing and'then more particularly pointed out.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevational view oi a bottle having thereon a.closure constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view of the bottle with the capgremoved; 4

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of a capblank (enlarged) I Figure 4 is a similar view of the completed cap; and

neck 12 and a shoulder 13. On the neck, near the bottle mouth is formed a thread 14.

forming the lugs 18,

Figure 5 is a schematic view. Referring to.the drawing, 11 represents a con-- tainer, such as a bottle, having a relatively-long Fig. l illustrates the bottle closed by a cap 15. This cap is a one-piece metal shell and comprises a top portion 16 and a skirt 1'? having a smooth,

unbroken outer, surface and an uninterrupted bottom edge. The skirt is substantially of the 05 same length as thebottle neck, so that the cap telescopes,'and so covers, the whole neck and engages or appears toengage the bottle shoulder 13 with a substantially uninterrupted joint.

The interior of the cap has a plurality of thread-engaging lugs 18 in the form of beads equally spaced considered circumferentially. The embodiment here illustrated as an example is constructed for use with a bottle having an uninterrupted thread. Consequently, the lugs 18 are located at progressively increasing distances from the bottom edge of the cap to accord withthe pitch line of the thread.

These lugs 18 are formed from tongues of metal shaved from the interior wall of the cap and 30 curled or rolled over into the bead form shown.

According to the present invention, the'cutting of the several tongues starts at a point a substantial distance from the edge of the cap skirt. To this end, as here shown as an example, the cap is so constructed that the upper portion of the capskirt has a thicker wall than the lower portion, leaving an internal shoulder 19. In

the shaving operation is 4 started at this' shoulder. That is, the tongues which form the lugs are shaved from the thicker portion of the cap wall. A The cap blank may be formed by drawings. shell and stripping the inner wall, down to shoulder 19.

With the construction described, the lugs are located well up in the cap, as is necessary to. obtain the desiredrelation with the bottle, without the necessity of shaving and rolling up an excess amount of metal. Moreover, "as the lugs 100 are formed from the metal of the-interior wall ofthe cap, the cap. is left with a smooth, unbroken outer surface and the edge is uninterrupted, making a neat joint with the bottle body.

Moreover,

the cutting operations start at an 5 edge, thus avoiding the practical difficulties of starting the cuts at points on a smooth surface. What is claimed is: a

1. Ametalcap for a container, said cap comprising a top portion and a skirt, the skirt having thicker portion of said skirt, rolled up into headlike locking lugs.

3. A metal cap for a container having a caplocking thread, said cap comprising a top portion and a skirt, the skirt having a. substantially unbroken outer surface, the upper portion of the skirt being thicker than the lower portion, and a plurality of internal thread-engaging lugs formed from tongues of metal the roots of which are integral with the thicker portion of said skirt and arranged in a helical path to accord with the pitch-line of the container thread.

4. The method of forming a metal cap for a Y container, which comprises drawing a cup-shaped blank-,stripping away a portion of the inner wall of the skirt of the blank and thereby forming a downwardly facing shoulder, shaving tongues of metal from the inner wall of said skirt starting at said shoulder, and forming said tongues into locking lugs.

5. The method of forming a cap for a con-- tainer, which comprises forming a metal can blank having a skirt, the inner wall of said skirt having two surfaces, one offset from the other, thereby forming a downwardly facing shoulder, shaving tongues of metal from the inner wall of said skirt starting at said shoulder, and forming said tongues into locking lugs.

6. The method of forming a cap for a container, which comprises forming a metal cap blank having a skirt, the inner wall of said skirt having two surfaces, one offset from the other, thereby forming a downwardly facing shoulder, shaving metal from the inner wall of said skirt starting at said shoulder, the sheared metal being left rooted integrally to the wall, and forming'said sheared metal into a locking element.

7. A metal cap for a container, said cap comprising a top portion and a skirt, the skirt having a substantially unbroken outer surface, the upper portion of the skirt being thicker than the lower portion, and an internal locking element formed from metal sheared from and integrally rooted to the thicker portion of said skirt.

FREDERICK REUTI'ER. 

